Monet And The Mediterranean
Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism
Monet And The Mediterranean Details
An exhibition catalog shows paintings Claude Monet did during three trips to the Mediterranean region, including Antibes, Monte Carlo, and Venice
Reviews
Gorgeous collection of and commentary on Claude Monet's painting sorties into the Riviera regions of France and Italy in the 1880s and his several months in Venice in late 1908. The paintings in this beautifully printed book (originally a catalog for a 2000 exhibiition) are uniformly stunning in the exuberant color and Eden-like subject matter. Paintings done in Bordighera on the Italian Riviera, for example, show a semi-tropical landscape that must have been somewhat overwhelming to paint for a northerner, even an experienced landscape artist like Monet. There is saturated color in everything, starting with the sea and certainly including the lush vegetation and Mediterranean architecture and natural features. This is equally so for the landscapes done on the coast near Menton/Monte Carlo--they are truly dazzling. The paintings of Venice are unique for a place that had been painted for centuries by the world's best artists. Monet's impressionist eye found a new way to portray many familiar buildings and monuments that does justice to the subjects, but basically puts the prominent focus on light and color.What is also admirable about this fine book is the purposeful inclusion of many paintings of the same scene but at different times of the day or from slightly different angles. It provides visual insight into how Monet approached his subjects and how he famously dealt with the challenges of changing light in plein aire painting.If you have never visited the Riviera towns represented in this book, you will certainly want to do so after a look at just the cover. While these places have all become summer meccas since the 19th century, they retain most of the charm and natural allure that appealed to Monet and inspired these paintings.